Lockitron: Use Your iPhone To Lock And Unlock Your Doors

We already showed you five dope toys you can control with your iPhone, so how about we show you something a little more serious you can do with your iPhone? A new app and locking mechanism, called Lockitron, allows people to lock and unlock their home or apartment doors with the tap of a smartphone screen.

How does it work? Pretty simply, actually. You send a signal from your phone either via iPhone app or text message (if you would like to let a friend into your house). That message gets sent to the Lockitron services, and is then sent to a small device that is connected to your router. Once the signal reaches the device in your home, it tells your door to either lock or unlock.

Lockitron says its self-install kits are compatible with a number of popular lock-styles (everything from buzzer-controlled systems to cylindrical/deadbolt setups). Also, if you have a Nexus S Android phone, you can even set your lock up to unlock via Near-Field Communication (NFC).

Depending on your type of lock, the Lockitron kit, which is still in the beta phase, will cost between $295 and $315, and is available now.